Representatives from both sides of the aisle are making their objections to Chas Freeman clear. Contrary to the Freeman apologists, the objections are not all about Israel and they come from a wide-range of politicians. Rep. Frank Wolf focuses on China and Saudi Arabia. And then eighty-seven Chinese dissidents sent a letter to the president. ( I’m sure Stephen Walt will conclude this is evidence of one heck of a neocon Zionist conspiracy.) More and more hair-brained quotes are popping up — suggesting Freeman is utterly uniformed on matter supposedly within his area of expertise.

The question remains: why is the White House dragging this out? It is inexplicable that the administration, a supposedly sophisticated political operation, would not only allow Freeman to slip in, but then prolong the agony as more and more politicians, Democrats included, step forward to raise objections. Perhaps they are trying to soothe some constituency or resist the appearance of caving into pressure. But, on a decision this horrible, it is better to cut your losses quickly.